Ones to Watch: The Future of Fashion

Fashion Scout’s showcase of the winners of the Ones to Watch Award this season acts as definitive proof that young, up and coming designers produce the most innovative and interesting designs that are leagues above collections by their competition. Should those designers already at the top of their game be holding onto their crowns with all their might? Absolutely.

The brands that showed during the Ones to Watch show – 1x1 Studio, Aurélie Fontan, Bowen Hu and Shie Lyu – showed collections that exhibited creativity and original-thinking in four very different, but simultaneously genius, ways.

The first brand to show was Shie Lyu, who focused on playing the role of a mathematician using formulas to create clothing that was romantic and contemporary. The collection featured mainly pastel shades of lavender, sky blue, baby pink and lemon. She utilised unusual materials such as Perspex, rubber and heat shrink tubing to create sculptural asymmetric shapes. Innovative shapes were present in Bowen Hu’s collection, too. Bowen focuses on the psychology of the self and creates outfits that psychologically and physically support the wearer. Muted tones of nude pink, light brown, beige and white made their way down the runway as garments that were structured through multiple layers of material to create items which looked like the surface of the brain. The collection, entitled ‘Lucid Dream’ showed garments that were calming to a viewer; the neutral tones and art sculpture-esque clothing immediately places one in a calm mind-set where only one thing is on your mind; ‘can I touch it?’.

The third show, by 1x1 Studio, consisted of 3D textures made entirely out of knitwear. It was interesting to see this material used to create such impressive items; three-dimensional cable knit shorts and oversized jumpers made their way down the runway accompanied by alien-like headpieces, an allusion to the legend of Icarus warning society about the inevitable fall that will come as a result of relying on technology. Finally, Aurelie Fontan showed her collection of “techno-craft” – a series of garments that focuses on the fashion of the future whilst maintaining a promise to use sustainable and ethically sourced materials. The dresses were made from recycled materials in panels linked together with reusable materials, pushing a need for a focus on sustainability within fashion. The fact that the collection consisted of reused material, however, did not compromise its quality. White dresses walked the runway followed by black and bronze gowns – gorgeous dresses that were glamorous and elegant.

If the Ones to Watch show has proved anything, it’s that new designers are not only looking to the future for inspiration, but are futuristic in their sustainable approach to production, too. They are, in every sense of the saying, ones to watch.